To move the tournament to November would get around playing in the summer heat but the decision ignored the two million migrant workers who are being forced to work six days a week in temperatures that reach 55 degrees.

Football Association chair Greg Dyke said the best option would have been to move the tournament away from Qatar but said the new proposal was “the best of the bad options.

“I have said from the start we cannot possibly play in the summer in Qatar, it would be ridiculous to play then.

“The best option would be to not hold it in Qatar but we are now beyond that so November/December would seem to be the best of the bad options.

“It will clearly disrupt the whole football calendar as it means club football stopping at the end of October.

“You might be able to keep the disruption to one season if you start earlier and end later but it’s going to be tough — and unnecessary because we would not be doing this if Fifa had done their work properly.”

Uefa released a statement which supported the task force’s recommendation but again failed to address the treatment of migrant workers.

It said: “Uefa believes that — for the benefits of players and fans — the event should be played in winter and now awaits the final decision from the Fifa executive committee meeting.

“Uefa sees no major issues in rescheduling its competitions for the 2022/23 season, should the 2022 Fifa World Cup proposal be approved by the Fifa executive committee and Uefa acknowledges that the competition may be shortened and thus that the release period of players be reduced.”

Mr McCain said that the US delegation had met Saudi Arabia’s training and equipment programme commander and Ahmed al-Jarba, whom he identified as president of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition even though he resigned last July.

John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the Capitol police and had antiwar activists arrested and ejected from a hearing Thursday when they protested the appearance of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Members of the Code Pink group held up signs denouncing Kissinger as a war criminal and shouted their intention to make a citizen’s arrest, dangling handcuffs in front of him and distributing an “arrest warrant” citing Kissinger’s role in the Vietnam War and other crimes during his tenure as national security adviser and secretary of state, from 1969 to 1976: here.

The air strikes took place after Islamist Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) militias, a coalition of antigovernment forces including the Misrata and Libya Shield militias and Amazigh (Berber) tribes, launched a renewed attack early Sunday to seize the key Al-Sidra and the nearby Ras Lanuf oil terminal. The air strikes targeted a flying school close to Misrata airport, the port and a steel factory in the city.

Misrata has been a key base for Libya Dawn since May. Sunday’s attack followed an assault on December 13, which the self-proclaimed Islamist government dubbed “Operation Sunrise,” with the start of the second phase of “Operation Sunrise” slated for Christmas Day.

On December 25, Islamist militias attacked Libya’s largest oil terminal at Al-Sidra and the city of Sirte, where Islamist militiamen firing rocket-propelled grenades from speedboats killed 22 government soldiers.

As a result of the fighting, seven of the 19 oil tanks at Al-Sidra were ablaze on Sunday, according to an oil official. Casualties from the strikes have not yet been reported.

The air strikes came after the al-Thinni regime issued a 72-hour ultimatum that expired late on Saturday, warning of consequences unless Islamist militias ended the assault.

According to government spokesman Colonel Ahmed Mesmari, “the strikes took place after Fajr Libya launched an air raid on Al-Sidra using a MiG-23 jet that took off from the aviation school in Misrata… That is why we targeted it and other positions of the militia.”

In early December, the government carried out air strikes against an alleged warehouse holding foods, as well as a chemical factory west of the capital, Tripoli, killing 4 people and wounding 15.

The escalation of bloody fighting between the unpopular western-backed puppet regime and the Islamist militias is plunging the entire country into civil war. The al-Thinni regime itself has been expelled from all of Libya’s major cities, fleeing to Tobruk in the far east of Libya, near the Egyptian border.

Brigadier General Saqr al-Garoushi, the commander of the al-Thinni government’s air force, told Libyan media: “The armed forces chief of staff declared Misrata a military zone and it will be besieged from east and west alongside continuous escalating strikes.”

The resulting civil war has plunged Libya into a major humanitarian crisis, with thousands from the population forced to flee the fighting. About 400,000 people have fled the fighting in the past six months alone.

Last month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that “at least 106,000 people this month alone have fled their homes in Libya in search of a safe haven from warring parties.”

Schools have been turned into refugee shelters. Numerous refugees are forced to camp outside, with only plastic sheeting for cover.

UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said, “It’s a worsening situation. Aid agencies are having difficulty reaching the people in need.”

The outbreak of violent conflict will lead to a major war across Libya. The UN mission in Libya, UNSMIL, issued a statement condemning the air strikes. The statement warned, “This cycle of violence…if continued, will lead the country to chaos and all-out war.” It called for taking “courageous steps” to end the fighting.

The war has also devastated the Libyan economy, particularly its critical oil industry. Mohamed Elharari, a spokesman for National Oil Corp, said, “the latest spate of fighting has led to a decline in output to 352,000 barrels a day.” According to Bloomberg News, “that makes Libya, which holds Africa’s largest oil reserves, the smallest producer of the 12-member Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The country was producing about 1.6 million barrels a day before the 2011 rebellion that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.”

The imperialist powers are backing CIA-linked General Khalifa Hifter’s forces in the civil war, which is the direct product of their 2011 intervention, and threatening a renewed, direct intervention into Libya to defend their interests. In May, the United States dispatched 200 troops to a base in Sicily aimed at responding more quickly to crises in Libya.

In September, France’s Socialist Party government threatened military intervention, with President François Hollande urging the UN to “organize exceptional support for Libyan authorities to restore their state,” supposedly in order to fight terrorism.

On December 20, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi declared that Rome, the former colonial power in [Libya], would not rule out the possibility of military intervention under an international framework, should diplomatic efforts fail.

In a press statement, Renzi said, “Italy is not far from ongoing tensions in Libya due to the two countries’ close geographical distance,” adding that his government “will do whatever is necessary for Italy’s security.”

The Ministry of Defence was warned of security risks surrounding an agreement to train Libyan soldiers in the UK, according to newly released documents.

About 300 soldiers arrived in June for training at Bassingbourn barracks, Cambridgeshire, in the effort to support Libya’s beleaguered new government. Training was cut short after five cadets were charged with sexual assault and concerns were raised about the conduct of others.

Plans to train 2,000 soldiers under an agreement reached at the 2013 G8 summit have been thrown into doubt as a result.

On 29 November 2011 Mohamed Rashid Al-Ajami was handed down a life sentence which was reduced to 15 years in prison, for insulting the Emir of Qatar and “inciting to overthrow the ruling regime.” He was arrested after the publication of his “Jasmine poem,” which criticised governments across the Gulf region in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings.

The GCHR expresses serious concern at the on-going restrictions on the freedom of expression imposed in Qatar, including legal and extra-legislative measures.

Together with CIVICUS the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the GCHR raised these concerns during Qatar’s Universal Periodic Review at the United Nation’s in Geneva in September, and strongly condemned the refusal of the government of Qatar to accept a large majority of recommendations put forward, including almost all recommendations calling for respect of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association. (For further information please see http://gc4hr.org/news/view/754, http://gc4hr.org/news/view/616)

A Cyber Crimes Law was introduced in September which criminalizes anyone that is found “[jeopardizing] the safety of the state, its general order, and its local or international peace” by spreading or publishing “false news through any means.” It is feared that this legislation may be applied arbitrarily against human rights defenders and journalists.

Article 36 of the 2004 Qatari Constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention providing that “no person may be arrested, detained, searched, neither may his freedom of residence and mobility be restricted save under the provisions of the law.” Moreover, Article 12 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders mandates states to take necessary measures to ensure protection of human rights defenders. Nonetheless, the Qatari authorities continue to invoke vague and ill-defined legislation to arbitrarily detain and imprison civil society activists and human rights defenders for undertaking their legitimate and peaceful activities.

Despite the fact that Article 47 of the same 2004 Qatari Constitution states that, “Freedom of expression of opinion and scientific research is guaranteed in accordance with the conditions and circumstances set forth in the law”, the government continues to invoke restrictive and overbroad legislation to arrest and imprison journalists and bloggers and other government critics who report on sensitive topics. Further, the government continues to drastically limit access to international media and internet news sites and strictly controls domestic media outlets.

The GCHR urges the government in Qatar to:

Ratify all international treaties including the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and to extend a standing invitation to the UN Special Procedures, particularly to the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression;
Ensure that civil society organisations are able to be established, registered and to operate freely without fear of harassment or reprisals. To this end the authorities should reduce the fees for registering an organisation and amend the rules by which an organisation can be dissolved;
Allow access to national media outlets and Internet based informational resources and ensure that bloggers and all those using on-line services are free to do so without fear of reprisals;
Amend the Press and Publications law of 1979 which contains broad provisions outlawing certain speech including requirements that journalists refrain from reporting on issues which may cause damage to the “supreme interests of the country” or are “offensive to public morals” and repeal the Law on Press and Publication which criminalises legitimate forms of freedom of expression;
Amend Law No. 18 of 2004 on Public Meetings and Demonstrations in order to fully guarantee the right to freedom of assembly;
Ensure that all human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, are protected and promoted and that journalists, bloggers and human rights defenders are able to carry out their peaceful and legitimate work without fear of harassment, including judicial harassment and reprisals.

The ITUC has condemned Qatar’s arrest and planned deportation of around 100 striking migrant workers today as a gross violation of the most fundamental workers’ rights.

According to local news website Doha News, “The men, who hail from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are construction workers employed by two subcontracting companies – Qatar Freelance Trading and Contracting as well as Qatar Middle East Co. They worked on construction sites that included the recently renovated Sheraton Doha hotel.”

Around 800 workers in total have been on strike over the past few days, in protest at breaches of employment contracts and poverty wages. Having signed contracts before leaving their home countries for Qatar, on arrival in Doha their passports were confiscated and contracts torn up. They were then forced to work for wages one-third lower than promised. Witnesses have reported that a supervisor attacked workers with a plastic pipe when police arrived to start the arrests, and those arrested are believed to be heading for the notorious Doha Detention Centre where migrant workers are often held incommunicado for long periods before eventual deportation.

“This is what life without the right to strike looks like. It is deeply troubling that employer groups are now trying to undermine that very right at the International Labour Organisation. The world needs to uphold rights, and not put every worker at the mercy of their employer with no right to strike against exploitation and abuse, like in Qatar,” said Burrow.

The latest episode in Qatar’s contentious treatment of its migrant workers sadly sums up all the reasons why human rights organisations and the UN are pressing the emirate nation to make key changes to tackle widespread abuse ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup: here.

Doha was yesterday chosen to host the 2019 Athletics World Championships by the International Association of Athletics Federation Council who were immediately condemned for their decision by Ucatt general secretary Steve Murphy.

General secretary of Ucatt Steve Murphy told the Star: “This is a terrible reflection on the world of sport. International bodies should be well aware of the appalling human tragedy that is occurring in Qatar with migrant construction workers and it is astounding that any other body would give a world major sporting event to this country.”

It is reported that at least 4,000 workers could die before the start of the World Cup —based on 1,200 deaths reported by the Indian and Nepalese embassies back in March.

The decision was also condemmed by Middle East research for Human Rights Watch Nicholas McGeehan who previously told the Guardian that “The reforms that Qatar has announced will not significantly improve the situation,” and warned the IAAF not to pick the country based on “PR spin.”

But the warning was ignored and McGeehan said yesterday: “The IAAF must surely have known that Qatar’s labour system remains deeply exploitative when it took today’s decision so this raises the question as to how important it considers the lives and welfare of the migrant workers on whom the 2019 world championships will depend.

“If Qatar had shown any signs of making significant reforms to its labour system then this decision could have represented just reward for Qatar’s progress, but as it stands it looks like the IAAF has just given its seal of approval to Qatar’s callous indifference.”

The Qatari bid, frontrunner since losing to London for the 2017 event, beat Eugene, Oregon by 15 votes to 12 after Barcelona was eliminated in the first round, meaning the Middle East will stage the event for the first time. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the president of the Qatari Athletics Federation and Doha’s bid leader, said: “We will raise the bar to create a legacy, starting from tomorrow.” But concerns were expressed that Qatar, which is embroiled in controversy over the award of football’s 2022 World Cup, has been rewarded with another global event despite its ill-treatment of migrant workers, hundreds of whom have died while building sporting facilities.

Nicholas McGeehan, Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, told the Guardian: “The IAAF must surely have known that Qatar’s labour system remains deeply exploitative when it took its decision, so this raises the question as to how important it considers the lives and welfare of the migrant workers on whom the 2019 world championships will depend.

“If Qatar had shown any signs of making significant reforms to its labour system then this decision could have represented just reward for Qatar’s progress, but as it stands it looks like the IAAF has just given its seal of approval to Qatar’s callous indifference.”

Amnesty International, meanwhile, has urged the IAAF to put plans in place to ensure that workers building the athletes’ village for Doha 2019 are given better treatment. Mustafa Qadri, its researcher on migrants’ rights in the Gulf, said: “Time is running out to address widespread migrant labour abuses in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup tournament. The IAAF must now make clear what plans it has in place to ensure no such abuses occur in the 2019 World Athletics Championships.

“This year the Qatari authorities have announced some welcome if limited reforms to labour law and practices. But few concrete steps have been taken to implement even these reforms. There are real concerns both events will take place under a shadow of migrant-labour abuse.”

The Qatar ministry of labour and social affairs had previously rejected the suggestions. “This is not true. We have new legislation on our books and we have concrete plans to implement our existing and future laws more effectively,” it said.

The 400m world champion Christine Ohuruogu also admits she is “concerned” that Doha’s extreme heat will cause problems for the athletes – despite organisers moving the world championships from the traditional August date for the first time.

Temperatures between 28 September and 6 October, when the event will take place, are likely to top 37C, which Ohurougu fears will be dangerous for middle- and long-distance runners. “Maybe the sprinters can get away with it but for the guys who are running laps and laps, they are pushing their bodies to the limit anyway, to add the extra ingredient of extreme heat, I would be worried about what would happen to them and their health,” she said.

“If it does get uncomfortably hot and starts encroaching to the area of health and safety, you really have to think about where you are making athletes go to.”